Elizabeth's Religious Settlement

Elizabeth's Religious Settlement

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What were Elizabeth's main aims?

Elizabeth's main aims were:

  • That she wanted her country to be united to stop rebellion and civil war - she wanted to find a compirmise when it came to England's religion
  • She wanted a church that both Protestants and Catholics would like
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What was the impact of the Religious Settlement?

  • Elizabeth wanted a Protestant Church that Catholics could accept. She did not want them to feel forced to choose between loyalty to their religion and loyalty to their Queen, so she decided to keep a Catholic feel to the churches. As long as people conformed outwardly, Elizabeth did not want persecutio. She hoped that the Catholic faith would simply fade away in England as the old clergy died out
  • The Clergy - All te members of the Clegy had to take the Oath Of Supremacy under the Act Of Supremacy if they were to keep their positions. Eight thousand priests and less imortant clergy did so. There was approximately 10,00 priests in England at this time, so this shows that the Religious Settlement was largley successful. 
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What was the role of the Church of England?

The role of the Church of England was that the Parish Church was a centeral point in village life and religion could have a massive impact upon people.

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What 2 acts did Elizabeth have to pass?

For Elizabeth to be able to pass her Religious Settlement she had to get an act of Parliament. To be able to create a new church she had to pass these 2 acts of Pariament - The Act Of Supremacy and The Act Of Uniformity, which established her government snd doctrine of the new Church Of England.

  • The Act Of Supremacy - made Elizabeth supreme governor of the Church of England - all clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath of allegiance to her as the head of the church
  • The Act Of Uniformity - established the apperance of churches and the form of services they held
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What were the Royal Injunctions?

The Royal Injuctions was a set of instructions issued by Sir William Cecil on behalf of the Queen to the clergy on a widde range of issues to reinforce the Acts Of Supremacy and the Act Of Uniformity. It included instructions on how people  should worship God and the structure of the services

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Why were the royal injunctions issued?

The Royal Injunctions were issued to help further establish the Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy. They covered a wide range of topics such as:

  • All clergy were to teach to the Royl Supremacy
  • Anyone who rfused to attened church was to be reported to the Privy Council
  • Each Parish was to have a copy of the Bible in English
  • No one was allowed to preach without a licence from the Government
  • Pilgramiges and monuments to 'fake' mircles were banned
  • The clergy were to wear special vestments  
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What else did the Act Of Uniformity order?

The Act Of Uniformity also ordered that everyone was to attened Church on a Sunday and other Holy days such as. Good Friday or else be fined one shilling for every absence. There were 12 pence in a shiling. The Labourer's Act of 1563 said that -

  • Labourers could earn up to 3 pence a day
  • Skilled craftsmen could earn up to 4 pence a day
  • A servant could earn between 8-9 pence a week

Therefore, for many people, a fine for not attending church, could add up to a weeks pay . For the Nobility a shilling wouldn't be a massive/ serious amount of money to lose

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What changes would be made?

The Act Of Uniformity introduced a set form Church service in the Book of Common Prayer to be used in all Churches. The clergy had to use the wording of the prayer book when conducting services

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How many Bishops agreed to take the oath?

When it came to the Bishops only One agreed to take the oath. The other 27 had to step down and this led to Elizabeth appointing 27 new Bishops. This gave her the opportunity to put Protestant Bishops in place. Elizabeth couldn't affoard to lose the support of the new Bishops, as there was a shortage of qualified Protestant Clergy in England

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